During recent House proceedings, Representative Jill Cooper of Westmoreland paid tribute to Mary Bach, a Murrysville resident and prominent consumer advocate. Bach was recognized for her five decades of community service.
“It takes a truly special person to serve the community the way Mary does and for as long as she has. I would guess that as a consumer advocate, she has helped Pennsylvanians save tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars,” Cooper stated. “Between making certain shoppers are aware of dishonest sales practices and calling attention to scams and fraud, she is a renowned expert.”
Bach holds the position of Consumer Issues Task Force chair for the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons. Her career began in education as a high school teacher before serving on Murrysville’s council and the Franklin Regional School Board.
For 18 years, Bach contributed a column titled “Consumer’s Eye View” to two grocery industry trade papers: Tri-State Food News and The Food Industry Advisor. She participated in various panels including the national Consumer-Industry panel of the Direct Marketing Association and Pennsylvania’s Task Force for the Protection of Older Consumers.
Her advocacy efforts date back to 1978 when she formed a Coupon Clippers group in Westmoreland County and taught classes on supermarket savings strategies. Bach also served on advisory boards such as the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association Scanning Certification Advisory Board for three decades and held an appointment with the Federal Trade Commission Education Committee.
Bach has appeared on television programs like Today Show, Good Morning America, Donahue, and Dateline. Her insights have been featured in publications including Good Housekeeping, Business Week, Money Magazine, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times, and Philadelphia Inquirer.
On June 9th, Bach joined Cooper along with other legislators on the House floor where she received an official citation from Pennsylvania’s Legislative Reference Bureau acknowledging her contributions. These citations are preserved in Pennsylvania’s legislative records within the State Archives. Her accomplishments were further acknowledged by Representative Rob Matzie who stood in for House Speaker Joanna McClinton during this event.
